Synthesis of butyrate using a heterogeneous catalyst based on polyvinylpolypyrrolidone

A heterogeneous polyvinylpolypyrrolidone supported Brønsted acidic catalyst (PVPP-BS]HSO₄) was used to synthesize butyrate in this paper. The prepared catalysts were characterized by FT-IR, TG, and FESEM and their catalytic activity in butyric acid esterification with benzyl alcohol was investigated. The influencing factors such as the amount of catalyst, reaction temperature, and reaction time were carefully studied. Under the optimized condition with the butyric acid to benzyl alcohol mole ratio of 1: 1.2 and the reaction temperature of 130°C, the yield of benzyl butyrate reached 96.8 % within 4 h in the presence of 8 mass % of catalyst. Moreover, the catalyst could be reused six times without noticeable drop in activity. This catalyst was also used to synthesize other kinds of butyrates achieving the butyrate yield above 90 %.